ENS James Show Maddox (WWII)

Remembering ENS James Show Maddox (Fairmont)

December 12, 1912 - January 17, 1943

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Author's Note: In 2015, I discovered articles in the Marion County Public Library archives about James Maddox's mother christening the Victory Ship Fairmont. I was both fascinated and heartbroken by his story. All these years later, it's an honor to write about his life.

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ENS James Show Maddox (Service Number 0-135297) was born in Fairmont, WV on December 12, 1912, the only son of Orville and May (Show) Maddox. Orville worked as an auditor for the train company (1910 Census) before moving to a position with one of the local coal companies (1920, 1930 Censuses). May was a school teacher. For most of James' life, their family lived at 509 Pittsburgh Avenue, near what, at the time, was East Fairmont High School.

Education:

James attended East Fairmont High School, graduating in 1931. He was senior class secretary, vice-president of Senior Hi-Y, and a member of the Drama Club, Senior Boys Cooking Club, and the Orchestra. A caption under his senior picture in the 1931 Orion Yearbook notes "The ladies call him sweet," and gives his nickname as "Jimmy." He was a member of a team from EFHS who performed "The Valiant" at the state one-act play tournament in 1927 (1927 Orion Yearbook).

He went on to attend several local colleges and universities- Fairmont State Teachers College (two years), Alderson Broaddus, and West Virginia University, where he received his bachelor's degree ("Accepts Position," Yellow Jacket). He was a member of Alpha Psi Omega, the national theatre honorary. He received his masters degree from the University of Iowa ("Ensign James S. Maddox Considered Lost by Navy," Fairmont Times). 

On February 8, 1937, he took a position in Purdue University's speech department, where he would teach students speech or how to be a speech pathologist and assistant clinician ("Accepts Position") while he worked on his doctorate in psychology ("Adrift," Purdue Alumnus).

In 1940, still employed at Purdue and living at Purdue's Cary Hall with other male faculty, James registered for selective service. He was 5'9" and 155 lbs, with brown hair, brown eyes, and ruddy skin (Draft Card).

Wedding bells rang on May 3, 1941 when James married Patricia L. Heine in Tippecanoe, Indiana, whom he'd met at a local theater.

Military Service:

James entered the U.S. Naval Reserve from his home in Indiana in spring of 1942, was on board the Dutch cargo vessel MV Zaandam by fall. The presence of Navy personnel on board was supposed to be a deterrent to Axis forces, with armed guards defending the wartime cargo. James was in charge of the gun crew. On November 2, 1942, the Zaandam was off the coast of Brazil when the torpedo attack began. 

An article remembering the life of Zaandam survivor Basil Izzi described the chaos:

"Basil made his way to the bridge where his gunnery officer, Ensign
James Maddox, gave orders to his young crew to man their battle
stations. The Captain then appeared, saying it was only a minor
explosion in the engine room, not a torpedo. As Basil made his way
toward his ‘gun position in the stern, and as Ensign Maddox began
arguing the point with the Captain, a second torpedo struck the port
side." (Lester Paquin, "Eighty-Three Days And Forty-Five Years: Remembering Basil Izzi")

Two life boats from the Zaandam were recovered with survivors on November 7, with a third reaching the coast. Other survivors weren't so lucky. Over the span of several days, five survivors- James Maddox, Basil Izzi, Cornelius van der Slot, George Beezley, and Nicko Hoogendam- made their way to an 8' x 10' life raft. This would be their home for the next 83 days.

They ate sharks, birds, and fish that they could capture. They ran out of water twice, and tried to flag down multiple ships, but had no success. Beezley fell ill first, after 60 days on board, dying six days later. On the 77th day, Ensign James Maddox, now blind, deaf, and delirious, succumbed to illness while murmuring about his wife (Paquin). His raft-mates buried him at sea.

"A professor of speech at Purdue University and an ordained minister before the war, Maddox was soft-spoken and gentle, extremely well-mannered and beloved by the men with whom he served. His quiet sense of humor and deeply held religious convictions provided the emotional strength he and the others needed to sustain them throughout
their ordeal. 
Each man on the raft harbored at least one treasured thought — some-thing to look forward to when this was over. For Basil, it was an endless feast of his mother’s spaghetti and meatballs. For Jimmy Maddox, it was being reunited with his young wife. When he had sailed away, his wife had placed her wedding hand with his on his finger — he would kiss them each night before he went to sleep." (Paquin)

On the 83rd day, January 24, 1943, the remaining three survivors, malnourished and ill, were rescued. James had died just six days before help arrived.

Ensign Maddox was declared missing by December 8, 1942 ("Missing in Action," The Fairmont Times), but it wasn't until mid-February 1943 that his death was confirmed. His family learned of his death after his mother-in-law read an article in the Washington Post about unnamed survivors of the Zaandam and had her husband inquire with the Navy Department ("Ensign James S. Maddox Considered Lost by Navy," Fairmont Times.") Patricia happened to be visiting her husband's parents in Fairmont when the telegram appeared- "Your husband who was reported missing is now considered lost."

Legacy and Survivors:

Ensign James Show Maddox, noted in some publications as being post-humously promoted to Lieutenant, was survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. O.B. Maddox, and his beloved wife, Patricia Maddox. A memorial was held in his honor at what was the First Baptist Church in Fairmont, WV in 1943.

He is honored with cenotaphs at the East Coast Memorial and Bridgeport Cemetery, and most recently, a memorial now housed at the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in Fairmont. He is also honored at the West Virginia Veterans Memorial in Charleston, WV.

Launched on November 25, 1944, James' mother, May Maddox, christened the Victory Ship Fairmont in Baltimore, Maryland. Patricia, also called "Patty," joined a program with the American Red Cross in November of 1943 to volunteer with soldiers in Europe, serving doughnuts and coffee. She arrived back in the U.S. by way of Le Havre, France, on October 9, 1945 (Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists).

Woodlawn Cemetery Memorial:

On November 11, 2016, a memorial bench was dedicated at First Baptist Church in Fairmont, WV, in Ensign James Show Maddox's honor. After the church was disbanded, the memorial bench was relocated to the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in Fairmont, WV in 2025. It is now accompanied by a full-color sign about his life, as part of their walking tour project. Woodlawn President and esteemed local historian, Dr. Raymond Alvarez, has also written a short book about James Maddox entitled "Forgotten Hero: Ensign James S. Maddox," available on Amazon.

Sources and More Information:

Articles:
  • Missing in Action. Fairmont Times. 9 December 1942.
  • Ensign James S. Maddox Considered Lost by Navy. Fairmont Times. 2 February 1943.
  • Maddox Dies At Sea, Mates Report. The Jackson Herald. 12 March 1943.
  • Maddox Died on 77 Day at Sea, Izzi Says. The Jackson Herald. 26 March 1943.
  • Inscription for Fairmont Ship Prepared. Fairmont Times. 9 September 1944.
  • Mrs. Maddox to Christen Ship Nov. 30. Fairmont Times. 3 October 1944.
  • Paquin, Lester. Eighty-Three Days And Forty-Five Years: Remembering Basil Izzi. The Barre Gazette. 11 February 1988. Archived here.

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